Rail pass - London area

[takemewithyou]

We are planning a cruise 8/2013 to the British Isles.

We will have several train trips....

1) Arrive Gatwick airport - train to central London - Victoria Station for 3 night stay.

2) To cruise: Train from Liverpool Station in London to Harwich cruise port.

3) Return from cruise: Train from Harwich - back to Gatwick Airport. Looks like there is no direct route, so we must go back to central London - Liverpool station and then transfer to Victoria Station for train back to Gatwick.

 

Pretty complicated!

Is there a rail pass We can purchase where we can save some money on all this transport? How about the London Pass - does this cover only the tube?

Any tips would be appreciated.....:)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've done all the crazy train- to bus- to train options when visiting the UK and going from point to point. I'm fairly young by cruise standards and travel with my son all the time. Between the two of us we think of it as an adventure and fortunately we speak the language- so people in England are very helpful about helping you get from point a to point b. That's the good news.

 

The bad news is in summer- the trains are pretty full. On our last trip from Southampton- London it was standing room only. Yep- you are not guaranteed a seat unless you book in advance and get an assigned seat. Hauling luggage from taxi to train from train to bus from bus to train is not a breeze and hopefully you can locate an elevator at the train station- otherwise it is escalators or stairs. Sometimes you can find a porter who will help you.

 

In other words... if you are up for an adventure before your fun transatlantic flight... go for it. You'll probably have no trouble sleeping on the flight after that.

 

But I'd suggest biting the bullet and hiring a car service. Here is a one link.. The prices are per vehicle and are in pounds not dollars.

 

http://www.adlg.co.uk/harwich_stansted.htm

[Stelladoro]

We also did several train trips in England during our pre and post British Isles cruise last May.

The only rail pass that I'm aware of is the Senior Pass, which provides an additional 30% off the cost of ticket. Although we are seniors, the cost of the pass was still not good value for the short time we used the trains.

We chose to book all the train tickets online from home, and picked up the tickets from automated machines at each train station. You need to use the same CC card that you booked the tickets online, as well as enter the booking confirmation number. Very easy to use. We saved quite a bit of cash, by booking Advance or Off Peak tickets. We never had problems finding seats, but maybe it had something to do with our time of travel.

 

The larger train stations have either an elevator or escalator (Victoria has only escalators, but easy to use). Once you arrive in London, you may consider taking a taxi from one station to another or to your hotel, especially if it's raining. That's what we did. Travelling with luggage on the tube is not fun, as it's crowded and you don't have much time to get on and off the train.

 

We didn't buy a London Pass, as we just loaded up our Oyster cards, which we kept from a prior trip to London. Believe the London Pass is only applicable for tube and bus travel.

[takemewithyou]

We also did several train trips in England during our pre and post British Isles cruise last May.

The only rail pass that I'm aware of is the Senior Pass, which provides an additional 30% off the cost of ticket. Although we are seniors, the cost of the pass was still not good value for the short time we used the trains.

 

Thanks for the replies. Appreciate all the info provided.

As to Senior rates....what do they consider a Senior to be?

Age 55 or age 65?

We qualify for one and not the other. :o

[Bruin Steve]

I have never done the Gatwick-London-Harwich-Gatwick thing by train...

But, we've visited the UK many times and have used a variety of methods in getting from airport to cruise port to Central London and more...

Here are my general observations:

 

1) Never found any "rail pass"-type deals BUT...train fares in the UK are rather inexpensive...especially if you watch for sales and book ahead by internet...For example, we just did Southampton to Victoria Station via Southern Railway for a mere £3.30 per person by booking between 30 and 90 days in advance...

 

2) Though trains are relatively cheap, there are some inconveniences--like requiring taxis for the small distances between train station and hotel or train station and port...and handling your own luggage on and off the train and through the stations...

 

3) A very good option we found for hotel to airport was to use a shuttle service. We usually fly to and from Heathrow and I've found Heathrowshuttle.com to be very good and relatively inexpensive...I am certain there are similar services that will take you to and from Gatwick...the advantage being service right from your hotel to the terminal...

 

4) We did take the Gatwick Express Train one time when we flew into Gatwick and I remember it being fairly good (though my memory may be fading--it was anbout 7 years ago!)

 

5) Car services or taxis are, obviously, the most convenient--door to door on your schedule...but also can be pretty costly...I remember going just from Central London to Heathrow one time and watching the meter on the taxi just keep moving and thinking I could have bought the car for that price...

 

I would just research each segment separately and pick what works best for you in each instance...Keep in mind both price AND convenience...Trains are fairly predictable, traffic isn't...leave yourself sufficient time...

 

Good luck...

[aquilegia]

As to Senior rates....what do they consider a Senior to be?

Age 55 or age 65?

We qualify for one and not the other. :o

 

Neither. It's age 60. A Senior Railcard costs £28 and entitles you to a third off all tickets for 12 months. You can apply online and have to have a passport or UK driving licence to prove your identity, so I presume you have to enter your passport number.

 

This is the website:

 

http://www.senior-railcard.co.uk/

[takemewithyou]

I have never done the Gatwick-London-Harwich-Gatwick thing by train...

But, we've visited the UK many times and have used a variety of methods in getting from airport to cruise port to Central London and more...

Here are my general observations:

 

1) Never found any "rail pass"-type deals BUT...train fares in the UK are rather inexpensive...especially if you watch for sales and book ahead by internet...For example, we just did Southampton to Victoria Station via Southern Railway for a mere £3.30 per person by booking between 30 and 90 days in advance...

 

2) Though trains are relatively cheap, there are some inconveniences--like requiring taxis for the small distances between train station and hotel or train station and port...and handling your own luggage on and off the train and through the stations...

 

3) A very good option we found for hotel to airport was to use a shuttle service. We usually fly to and from Heathrow and I've found Heathrowshuttle.com to be very good and relatively inexpensive...I am certain there are similar services that will take you to and from Gatwick...the advantage being service right from your hotel to the terminal...

 

4) We did take the Gatwick Express Train one time when we flew into Gatwick and I remember it being fairly good (though my memory may be fading--it was anbout 7 years ago!)

 

5) Car services or taxis are, obviously, the most convenient--door to door on your schedule...but also can be pretty costly...I remember going just from Central London to Heathrow one time and watching the meter on the taxi just keep moving and thinking I could have bought the car for that price...

 

I would just research each segment separately and pick what works best for you in each instance...Keep in mind both price AND convenience...Trains are fairly predictable, traffic isn't...leave yourself sufficient time...

 

Good luck...

 

Thanks. I think you weighed the pros and cons of train travel and the convenience (and cost) of car services very well. Lots to think about - great advice thanks!

[takemewithyou]

Neither. It's age 60. A Senior Railcard costs £28 and entitles you to a third off all tickets for 12 months. You can apply online and have to have a passport or UK driving licence to prove your identity, so I presume you have to enter your passport number.

 

This is the website:

 

http://www.senior-railcard.co.uk/

 

Thanks. :)

Guess we are out of luck - niether of us are 60 yet! Oh well.